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David McKeown / Staff Photographer
Dressed as a viking, Dan Daub, mayor of Tower City, cheers on the Williams Valley Vikings as they take on Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers during the PIAA Class A state quarterfinal game at Milton Hershey High School Athletic Complex, Hershey, on Friday, November 24, 2017.

DAVID MCKEOWN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Williams Valley’s Levi Engle (11) is unable to intercept the football as teammate Allen Hand (2) and Steelton-Highspire’s Jarval Flowers (3) try to make the play during Friday’s PIAA Class A state quarterfinal at the Milton Hershey High School Athletic Complex. The pass was incomplete.

But, with injuries mounting and options fading, they were no match for a Steel-High squad that was at full strength and with speed to burn and size on its side.

Scoring on their first four possessions, the Rollers went out early and breezed their way into the PIAA Class A semifinals with a 41-6 quarterfinal victory over Williams Valley at Milton Hershey High School’s Henry Hershey Field.

The Vikings’ outstanding tailback Dylan Rabuck, injured with an ankle sprain in last week’s victory over Old Forge, gave it a valiant try, carrying for 15 yards on his first attempt of the game, but lasting only into the early part of the second quarter before the injury forced him to the sidelines. He finished with 42 yards on seven carries.

Before the game ended, two more runners — Nick Savage, who rushed for more than 100 yards in last week’s victory, and Dylan Wolfgang, who had only one carry on the season but surpassed 100

yards in his reserve role against the Rollers — were sidelined with injuries as well.

That’s a whole lot to overcome against a very good football team.

“The guys gutted it out as best they could,” Williams Valley coach Tim Savage said. “We had backups upon backups upon backups in there running the ball.

“Hats off to Steel-High, but we didn’t give them our best.”

Across the way, that’s exactly what the Rollers gave the Vikings.

Particular among that effort was the performance of senior quarterback Malachi Young, who hit on 9-of-19 passes for 112 yards and touchdown passes of 5 yards to Javion Grant and 10 yards to Kavon Hope as the Rollers went out to a 14-0 lead on their first two possessions of the first quarter.

“Our offensive coordinator, Andrew English, is a Williams Valley grad,” Erby said. “All this week, he had us start our practices with sprints.

“We wanted to get out fast, and that paid off today. It showed. We came fast out of the gates.’’

Young’s touchdown passes were only the beginning.

Jayshaun Ramsey pushed the lead to 20-0 before the first quarter ended when a shotgun snap sailed over the head of Vikings quarterback Levi Engle and Ramsey scooped it up and raced 23 yards to the end zone.

Then, before the second quarter was four minutes old, Rollers’ tailback Dupri Andrews raced in from 29 yards out to make it 27-0.

Through it all, Williams Valley gained yards. The Vikes finished the game with 249 total yards compared to 293 for Steel-High. The Vikings actually held a 17-16 edge in first downs by game’s end. What they didn’t have and weren’t able to accomplish were the big plays, the large chunks of yardage that all season ended in points on the scoreboard.

With injuries mounting, the offense, at least the available offense, became much more limited.

“In the state quarters, you lose two good backs, it’s tough,” Savage said. “We were running with guys who weren’t called upon to run the ball all season long.

“I think what is glaring. ... We were a chunk-play offense for 13 weeks. Tonight, there were no chunks.”

The Vikings’ lone touchdown, a 1-yard blast by Dylan Wolfgang, came late in the second quarter and cut the deficit to 27-6 at the half.

Steel-High added second-half touchdowns on a 15-yard run by Andrews and a 5-yarder by Nyles Jones while keeping the Vikings off the board the rest of the way.

“That was a great football team over there (Williams Valley) and obviously, they have some injuries,” Erby said. “But, I think we’re a better football team than we were last year.

“We watched a lot of film of them and even with the injuries, they didn’t change much. They do what they do. We have a lot of respect for them.”

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